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Wg. BROAD. vNut-Look.

f No. 224,325. Patented Feb. 1051880.

UNITED! STATES PATENT OFFICE. f

WILLARD BROAD, OFASHLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSzI-GNOR' OEONE-HALF OF HIS RIGHT TO/ CHARLES M. ADAMS', OYF SAME PLACE.f

NUT-LOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part'of Letters Patent No. 224,325, dated February 10,` 1880.

' Application led J" une 30, 1879. l A

To all whom it may concern: y i

Be it known that I, WILLARD BROAD, of

Ashland, in the county of Middlesexand State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and V valuable Improvement in Nut-Locks; and I Fig. 3 is a detached view of the locking-plate.

rIhis invention has relation to nut-locks employed for the purpose of connecting together Vthe ends of railroad-rails; and it consists in the peculiar construction of the locking-plate and the manner of connecting it `to the rails, as will be hereinafter described, and subsequen tly pointed out in the claim.

In the acccompanying drawings, A Brepresent two sections of a rail with the usual flange or base a. The sectionsl A B are secured together by the ordinary fish-plates b c and bolts and nuts de, which pass through said fish-plates and rails. y

The locking-plate Gis stamped from suitable sheet metal, with the recesses f in form tov correspond withthe' form or shape of the nuts e.

the bottom of the 'rails transversely to their g, which passes over and around the contacting edges of the rails, they-being cut away at that point,l as shown at h, upon both sides of the rails to allow the spikes i to be driven driven in closer tothe base of the rails, so as to have their heads project farther over the ang'e, therebymaking a firmer fastening and 5o holding the rails more securely to the ties.

The locking-plate C hasta tongue, D,V of sufficient length to bend under and against-- length, said 'tongue having a transverse slot,

The means herein described of locking the nuts removes all danger of their Working loose, and the locking-plate being bent under the rails prevents the latter from wearing into the ties or sleepersand dropping one below the other, also giving greater strength to the joints of the rails.

The tongue D is provided at its lower end with the recess n, through which a spike, i, is driven after the tongue has been bent under 6o the rail, the spike being driven into the crosstie, and the slot'wl preventing lateral movement of the end of the tongue.

It will be seen that in my construction the locking-plate is secured to the cross-tie and rail-sections by means of the spikes alone, without the employment of auxiliary tongues attached to the locking-plate or other analogous devices, and also that-by forming the lockingpla-te as described, With acentral 7o tongue, D,passing under the rail-sections at their junction, and provided with the wings C', having the spaced openings ff for the reception of the nuts, much less metal is usedin forming the locking-plate than when a sheet- 7 5 metal shoeis employed lying under the railsections with its edges bent up around the rail, and that the bending of said edges is dispensed with. t

I am aware that a nut-lock consisting of a 8o plate slitted so as to form three leaves, the two outer leaves adapted to be bent upward around the rail fand abutting against the sides ofthe nuts, and the central leaf fitting upon the sleeper and secured thereto, as shownin Letters 8 5 Patent granted to I. Allen, dated J u1y30, 1872, No. 130,003, has heretofore been employed; and I am also aware that a sheet-metal railroad shoe or chair adapted to receive the railsections, and having upturned vertical flan ges, 9o one of which is provided with spaced slots for the reception of the nuts and perforated attaching-tongues to secure the locking-plate to the cross-ties, the other uptnrned vertical ilange being slottedto receive spikes passing into the'cross-ties, as shown in Letters Patent granted to G. H. Coffee, dated June 18, 1878, 4 No. 205,054, has heretofore been employed, and I therefore lay no claim to such inventions.

t ,Having now fully described my invention, roo

what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The rail-sections A B, provided with the lower iiztnges, a a, having recesses h h at their 5 ends, in combination with the sheet metal looking-plate O, having the central tongue, D,

bent under the rail-sections at their junction,

and provided with the slot g and recess u, and

the wings G', made in one piece with the een- 1o trai tongue, and provided with the spaced openings jf for the reception of the nuts, substantial'ly as described, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence 15 of two Witnesses.

WILLARD BROAD. Witnesses:

CHARLES M. ADAMS, JAMES F. HEALY. 

